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CTSFW

Concordia Theological Seminary – Fort Wayne, IN

CTSFW

Concordia Theological Seminary – Fort Wayne, IN

The Essentials of Ministry

The Essentials of Ministry

Because the SMP Program focuses on training you very quickly for a specific ministry context, we can’t cover everything as well as we can with the full M.Div. Program.  If you’re trying to decide between SMP and the M.Div., we’ll recommend the M.Div. every time. There’s simply no way we can teach you in 16 courses what we can in an entire degree program.  That’s the raw, honest truth.

We’d love for everyone who desires to be a pastor to enroll in the M.Div. Program.  Life is never that simple, though.  There are some situations in life where students need training for ministry but can not come and receive the full training in our residential program.  That might be because a congregation is vacant and unable to call a pastor, because of a particular need for an ethnic ministry or other circumstances.  To serve those students, we’ve partnered with our Districts and Synod to create the Specific Ministry Pastor Program.

In the SMP curriculum you’ll learn in residential intensives (every Fall) and throughout the year through online coursework. You’ll be mentored and supported by a local pastor with years of experience in ministry.  Through the combination of coursework and experiential learning you’ll receive the knowledge and skills you need to serve God’s people in your context.